Dreaming in Color
by MakaMaka
Summary: Persona 4: After nearly a year seeing things through clouded eyes, the move to a new town was welcomed to breathe new life and color into the dull gray world. Aya Toudou certainly hadn't expected country life to get this exciting though, nor had she expected to be charged with a mysterious quest midst a murder case. Damn that butterfly. OC character. Part One of Dreaming duology.


AN: Hello! Welcome to the first installment of the first story in my Persona duology. This first story will be OC-centric but by the second story the OC will simply be a supporting character.

I, myself, am worried whenever I click on an OC story but I hope you'll give it a shot.

**Disclaimer: I don't own nothing. Whoops, double negative. I don't own anything. Persona belongs to Shin Megami Tensei which is owned by Atlus, I believe.**

"_italics" _= the past

* * *

**April 11, 2011**

Aya sighed as the scenery flew by her. Once more, another move; from one town to the next. She rarely stayed anywhere for long. The longest had been Sumaru City for a proud four years and that had been ten years ago. Three years in Tokyo, two in New York, and a scattering of months and weeks in random cities all around Japan. Her latest settlement had been Tatsumi Port Island and barely a year later it was up and away again.

She really hated moving. She wanted to be stationary for once; to stay somewhere and not be under the constant pressure of leaving everything behind.

Aya scowled, her maroon eyes narrowing as she remembered why she was moving.

* * *

"_You'll be staying with Aunt Kaori in Inaba." Her brother informed her, barely looking up from his new case._

_Aya blinked, taken aback by the sudden decision. Her mouth suddenly felt very dry. "Why?"_

_Naoya looked up from his papers with Elly switching glances between the two siblings nervously. "I think it's best if you had a change of pace."_

_Aya swallowed, her mind working to analyze his statement. "What do you mean?"_

"_Aya-chan, you need…" Elly struggled to find the right words. "You need a new environment. You need a place where you can think about the past year without worrying about what we think and want. You need to find a reason for living again."_

_Aya frowned. What did she mean "think about the past year"? There was nothing particularly exciting about the year of 2010. Other than a mysterious hospitalization that resulted in constant visits from Maki-nee, there had been nothing noteworthy about the past year. Other than the surprise hospitalization the year had been clockwork; meticulously in order. "What is there to 'think' about?"_

_Naoya sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "You haven't been the same since the hospital; don't deny it." He told her sternly when she opened her mouth to protest. "You no longer enjoy the things you used to. I haven't once seen you pick up a camera since you were discharged. You used to squeal over those magazines of yours and now you barely touch them other than to reorganize your room. When was the last time you bought a new issue of those?"_

_Aya stared at her brother, a complicated feeling within her chest. His accusations were true but that didn't mean she liked hearing it. Ever since she was discharged she had been… uninterested in many things but that didn't warrant a move to another city._

"_Not only that, but there have been some problems with your teachers too." Naoya continued. Aya started but quickly quieted down with a stern look from her brother. "I've spoken over it with Maki and she thinks Gekkoukan isn't the best choice for you. She doesn't think Port Island is good for you. You'll be attending Yasogami High in Inaba instead."_

_Aya frowned and thought about it. A new town might not be so bad. If she thought about it, she was still only in junior high and it wasn't like she had any friends that would miss her. She didn't really have any connections to tie her down to the city for the same reason the past year had been so gray. "That's where Aunt Kaori lives, right? What about you then?"_

"_Unfortunately I've been assigned to the police department here and won't be able to ask for a reassignment yet." Her brother sighed, running a hand through his black hair._

"_And you Elly-nee?" Aya asked even though she already knew the answer._

"_I want too sweetie, but…" Elly scowled her famously beautiful features troubled._

_A trace of a smile graced the teen's lips. "I understand." Elly rarely had time off work being an internationally famous top model. Any time she had to spare was dedicated to her husband and efforts to build a family. Same could be said for Naoya. Any time he had to spare from his work as a special crime scene investigator was dedicated to his wife. It was sickeningly sweet and Aya was almost glad they were sending her off to a new town before they decided that they missed each other too much from their separation due to work._

_Almost. It didn't change the fact that she was leaving again._

"_If Maki-nee thinks it's for the best…" she sighed. Maybe a new environment would be good for her. A 'change of pace' might help change the dull gray of the world since she 'woke'._

_And it was up and away from there._

* * *

Starting spring she would begin high school at Yasogami High as a first year. It really was amazing that she was able to move up a year considering her extended hospital stay and the overall unenthusiastic school year that followed. Whether it was due to her own intelligence or Naoya's meddling she would never know. He covered his tracks too well.

Flipping absentmindedly through the pages of the newest edition of _Coolest_ (Elly had bought it for her for the long train ride) Aya instead set on observing the other passengers. There were actually quite a few people on board for Yasoinaba Station. Shocker, who knew the sticks would be so popular; a mother with her child, a man in a suit, a boy with grey hair that couldn't possibly be as old as his hair suggested.

She sighed and turned back to her magazine. Perhaps the reason for her fidgeting was boredom. Yes, perhaps she was bored from the long train ride between Port Island and Inaba. Settling on a random page she had flipped to, Aya tried to concentrate on the article. A faint smile ghosted her lips when she noticed the author of the piece was none other than Maya Amano, a friend of Elly's.

Aya settled down and concentrated on the interview between the cheerful journalist and a well known policeman from Sumaru City. News from Sumaru was always welcomed.

"Arriving: Yasoinaba. Yasoinaba."

She was in the midst of learning how to bake Katsuya Suou's coconut flour chocolate cake when the announcement came on. Closing her magazine, Aya gathered her belongings and readied herself to exit the train.

* * *

"My, look at how you've grown." Aunt Kaori smiled gently. "You're looking more like your mother every day."

Aya smiled mechanically at the compliment. "It's good to see you Aunt Kaori."

Kaori Souen was a beautiful woman in her mid-forties with all the elegance of Yamato Nadeshiko. She had married a wandering artist by the name of Eiichi Souen back when Aya was only five years old and had moved from Sumaru City to the countryside.

The years had clearly treated Kaori well as she looked nearly identical to what Aya remembered of her aunt. Her hair was still its lustrous shade of hazel, her skin creamy, and her eyes a warm hazel brown. She was wearing a light green kimono and smelled of her aromatherapy oils.

"So this is little Aya." a deep baritone rumbled. Aya turned toward the voice and saw a man in his late-forties, perhaps early fifties, with long dark hair and stubble. His dark eyes were smiling. "You're looking a lot bluer than when I last saw you."

"Bluer? As in… sad?" Aya wondered, tilting her head to the side in thought.

"Blue as in more conscious." the artist elaborated with a smile. "Blue as in awakening. Blue as in… regal. Come on Misaki; say hello to your cousin. "

"Hi Aya-nee!" a dark haired, hazel eyed girl chirped.

"Hey Misachin." Aya smiled. It had been a while since she last saw the ten year old. "Wow, you're so tall now."

Misaki paused, her smile faltering and Kaori and Eiichi held back a grimace but the ten year old was back to smiling before Aya could ask what was wrong. "Uh-huh! I grew two inches since the last time we visited you!" she grinned, her smile missing its left canine.

"Come now. We should get going." Kaori interrupted. Aya nodded, shouldering her bag and grabbing her suitcase. Kaori flashed a pleasant smile and turned to leave before something caught her attention. "Oh my, is that Detective Dojima?"

"Looks like it." Eiichi agreed. "Wonder what… right. I think I heard something about his nephew moving here for the year. Must be here to pick him up."

"He'll be a transfer student like you then Aya." Kaori eye-smiled. "Maybe you two will become friends."

Aya stared at the boy who had come to meet the detective. It was old man guy from the train. "Yeah, sure, maybe."

Kaori flinched but didn't say anything.

* * *

It was a nice house Aya decided. A moderately large, two story structure painted a inconspicuous green color. Aya knew recognized it immediately as her home for the unforeseeable future for its flourishing garden and the irresistible floral and herbal aromas generating from the house.

"This is it." Eiichi announced as he parked in the garage. Aya hummed in acknowledgment. "You'll get used to the smell." He grinned.

"Eiichi!" Kaori gasped, smacking her husband playfully on the shoulder. A worried look crossed her face when she turned to Aya though. "You don't mind the fragrance do you?"

Aya rolled her eyes. "Aunt Kaori, I lived with you when I was a kid. Don't worry about me."

Kaori visibly relaxed as they exited the car. "Yes, the aromatherapy shop…"

"You have your own room and everything!" Misaki chattered as they entered the house and an assault of aromas attacked Aya's nose. "We painted it purple, only a really light purple, and you have a bed and I put butterfly stickers on the wall because butterflies are pretty and the stickers were really pretty and they reminded me of the time you wore that purple butterfly costume for Halloween and mama sprayed jasmine everywhere even though I said maybe you don't want your room to smell like jasmine and you wanted it to smell like orange or tea tree or-"

"Slow down kiddo." Aya interrupted. The little girl hadn't stopped talking since they left the train station and Aya was starting to gain a little headache. "First of all: purple, cool. Butterflies and jasmine are cool too but I'm kinda sleepy from the trip so-"

"Oh! Duh! Silly me~" Misaki giggled, smacking her forehead lightly. "I'm gonna show Aya-nee her room, 'kay?"

"Of course. You must be tired from your long trip." Kaori called from the kitchen while Eiichi disappeared into what must have been his studio. "Please make yourself at home dear."

"C'mon!" Misaki giggled as she grabbed Aya's hand and pulled her towards the stairs.

Heading up the stairs Aya couldn't help but notice the artwork that decorated the walls. They weren't your usual family portraits but paintings that Aya could instantly tell were works of Eiichi. Strange portraits of what looked like tarot card. At least she thought they were tarot cards if the roman numerals and titles were anything to go by.

"Here!" Misaki chirped as they stopped before one of the doors at the end of the hall. The door was a plain white and unremarkable if not for the wooden blocks that decorated it: III.

"Misa, why is there a three on the door?" she asked, frowning at the randomness of the symbols.

"Oh! It's because daddy said that you were the number three." Misaki answered.

Aya rolled her eyes and reached for the doorknob. Eiichi was weird like that. Aya was blue, Aya was the number three, whatever that meant.

The moment she opened the door a waft of jasmine hit her nose. Aya blinked at the interior. True to Misaki's words, the room was painted a pale lavender color and there were indeed black butterflies decorating the walls. All the boxes she had sent to Inaba beforehand were stacked in a corner of the room. There was a desk near the window, a bed with white sheets in one corner of the room and a white nightstand next to it, a bookshelf, and… was that a vanity?

"What do ya think?" Misaki beamed proudly. Ah… she must have designed it.

"It's very cute." Aya smiled. Misaki paused, a slight frown building on her lips but the ten year old shook it off before Aya could question it.

"Great!" she chirped. "So my room's next to yours; it's VI, that's six. Mama and daddy's room is across the hall; theirs is XX, uhh… twenty I think. The bathroom is right down the hall, 'kay?" Eiichi clearly had a counting problem if seven jumped to three then twenty.

"Cool, thanks. G'night." Aya said as the younger girl moved to exit the room. Looking around, Aya couldn't help but wonder why Misaki went through all the trouble for her. Purple was a nice color and the room was nice but the vanity was just weird.

"Um… Aya-nee?" Misaki paused at the door. Aya looked over at her while wondering what to do with the room. "I… I'm glad you're here." The ten year old flashed her a shy smile before escaping.

A trace of a smile danced across Aya's lips briefly before disappearing when she noticed a painting hanging on the wall. It was clearly a work of Eiichi's but the subject was a little strange. It was of a woman with black coloring her skin, dressed in a black dress with a golden shawl and crown and holding a golden scepter. There was a border of brown around the portrait.

"III…. The Empress." Aya read the gold inscription on the painting. She rolled her eyes. Uncle Eiichi was weird; putting one of his tarot paintings in her room.

Not even bothering to undress, she dropped onto the bed and closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered was before sleep took her were the butterflies dancing across the walls and a high, melodious voice singing softly.

* * *

AN: Well, that was uneventful… I would have added more if not for the fact that I'm not fond of writing long chapters. Perhaps chapter two will be more exiting!

Readers! Please offer me your critique! This is the first time I've ever posted anything and would love to hear what you have to say; good and bad. Reviews make me happy!

Something I'm really scared of is my OC becoming a Sue. If you feel that she is becoming a Sue please say something! I will try to improve her!

~Trivia Time~

Kaori is not an OC and neither is Eiichi. If you ever played Persona 2 Kaori is the aromatherapy lady and is canon character. Her relation to Naoya Toudou however is totally made up. I just needed an auntie character and didn't want to make one so I used an actual character from the games.

Eiichi's real name is not Eiichi; I just gave him that name because I don't know what his real name is. I won't say who he is other than he is a canon character from the Persona series and that he is an artist/painter. For those of you who know who he is, please don't spoil!

The only OCs here are Misaki and Aya.

Please review!


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